Improvement in furnaces and stoves



3 Sheets--Sheet 1. .1. B.THO'MPSUN.

Furnaces and Stoves. A N0 158 335' Patented Dec.29,1874.

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THE GRAPHIC CQPNQTOfl-ITKBS! H PARK PLAOBNPII 3 Sheets--Sheet 2.-

J. B. THOMPSON. 'Fu rnaces and Stoves.

Patented Dec. 29,18714.

INVENTOR.

WIT NESSES.

IC CO. PHOTO 'UTHJQIMJ PAR FLA 3 Sheets--Sheet 3.

1. THOMPSON. Furnaces and Stoves.

Patented Dec. 29,1874

INVENTOR.

PATENT Fries.

JACOB B. THOMPSON, OF WHITEHALL, WRAYSBURY, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES AND STOVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 58,335, datedDecember 29, 1874; application filed June 15, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J noon BAYNES THOMP- soN,of Whitehall, Wraysbury, in the county of Bucks, England, have inventedcertain Improvementsin SmokelessFurnaces and Stoves, of which thefollowing is a specification:

This invention has for its object the consumption of all the products ofthe fuel capable of combustion, but more especially those of coal, so asto utilize all the mixed gases that from ordinary furnaces and stovespass up the chimney or flue, and are not only wasted, but are hurtful inpolluting the air. My improvement consists in a combination offuel-reservoir, air-inlet, front grate, and discharge-flue, ashereinafter described, whereby the gases evolved from fresh fuel arecarried into close proximity with the front grate, and there consumed.

Figure l is a front view, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view, showing myimprovements applied to a stove or grate for ordinary householdfire-places. Fig. 3 is a front view, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view,showing my improvements applied to the furnace of a steamboiler; andFig. 5 is a sectional view, showing my improvements applied to areverberatory furnace.

In the several figures of the accompanying drawings similar parts aremarked with similar letters of reference.

According to my improvements I construct a combustion-chamber, a, withbars in front and at bottom, or with vertical bars a extending in acurve round the front and bottom. This chamber a I extend upward, butinclosed on all sides to form a gas-generating chamber, 1), and abovethat is the fuel chamber or reservoir c, which is shut in by means of acover, d. The combustion 0r outlet flue e for the combustionchambercommences on or about the level of the top of the combustion-chamber a,as shown, but not above it. The outlet or combustion flue c, it will bealso seen, passes up behind the diaphragm or plate z, forming the backof the gas-generating chamber, and thereby affords an extra heating-surface to such gasgenerating chamber. There is also a flue or passage,f, for supplying air to the gas-generatmg chamber 1), which flue orpassage f may pass up behind the combustion or outlet flue, as shown atFigs. 1 and 2, or at the sides of the combustion-chamber a, as shown atFigs. 3, 4, and 5, and from below the combustion-chamber a, terminatingat the i0) of the gas-generating chamber 1) under a pro tecting ledge orguard, g, of the fuel chamber or reservoir 0. To this flue f there maybe a valve below the outlet-flue e, midway between that andthe bottom ofthe combustion-chamber 60, which, by being turned, opens the air or gasflue into the combustionchamber, and, at the same time, closes itscommunication with the external air. The fuel-chamber c, it will beseen, is simply a reservoir for fuel, which is fed to the gas-generatingchamber 12, and thence to the combustion-chamber a, by gravity only,such three chambers being portions of one general chamber.

The action of furnaces constructed according to my invention is follows:As soon as the fuel in the combustionchamber a is in an incandescentstate, (which takes place in from about five to twenty minutes from thetime of lighting, according to the dimensions of the furnace,) thefurnace ceases to smoke, and gas is generated in the gas-generatin gchamber b.

The influx of air through the air-flue f into the gas-generating chamberb causes the by drocarbons generated by the heat of thecombustion-chamber a to be decomposed, thereby forming mixed inflammablegases, which are driven downward through the incandescent coke in thecombustion-chamber a, there meeting and mixing with the draft of airentering such chamber between the bars a, and thence passing out at theoutlet-flue e in the form of highly-heated flame and gases, to beutilized as may be required.

When this invention is applied to reverberatory furnaces especially, thevalve in the air or gas flue may be brought into use to cause more ofthe mixed gases to be burned in the chamber h of the furnace, therebycreating more direct heat on the material to be acted upon, and varyingthe chemical properties of the flame directed upon such material but thefurnace must be first thoroughly heated with the air-fluef incommunication with the external air, or the hydrocarbons will not bethoroughly consumed-consequently will deposit soot and emit smoke.

I am aware that magazine-stoves have been made in various forms with adownward draft and air-supply passages admitting the air to supportcombustion at a point above the discharge-flue. This therefore I do notclaim; but my device operates in a novel manner by causing all the gasesevolved from the new fuel to be carried through the body of incandescentfuel in close proximity to the front grate, wh ere there is sufficientaccess of air to insure their complete combustion. This I effeet bylocating the mouth of the dischargefiue in close proximity to the frontgrate, and in the hottest portion of the fire. This peculiar combinationof the parts is valuable, also, in that it maintains the mostactive andbright combustion in the lowest part of the fire-place,

close to the front grate, from which there is a direct radiation oflight and heat into the room. 6

What I claim as new is The combination of the open front grate a, forsupplying draft to the fire, the fuel and gas chamber 0 b, and theoutlet 0, communicating with the fire at or below the level of the topof the grate a, as and for the purpose set fortln J. B. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

B. J. B. MrLLs,

23 Southampton Buildings, London. CHARLES WHITE,

23 Southampton Buildings, London.

